Carolyn spent her childhood drawing and has worked in art galleries since she was a teenager. After twenty years at Two Rivers Gallery on Lheidli T’enneh territory, she moved with her family to Snuneymuxw territory to join the team at Nanaimo Art Gallery in 2020. She’s passionate about engaging people through art and believes galleries are powerful spaces for connection and creativity. Outside the gallery, you’ll find her gardening, hiking, kayaking, or exploring the island—and probably watching reality TV.

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Jesse Birch (he/him) is a curator, writer, educator, and artist who was born and raised here on Snuneymuxw territory. He is grateful to be able to live in this dynamic and beautiful place that has been stewarded by the Snuneymuxw people since time immemorial.Jesse has lived in Vancouver, Seoul, Kyoto, and Amsterdam, and in 2014 he returned to the Island with his partner and son to reconnect with his home community and join the team at Nanaimo Art Gallery. Jesse has been active as a curator since 2001. He sees curating as both a job and a collaborative practice that brings artists and artworks into relation with people, places, and histories.Jesse also has an emerging practice as a potter, and has been an avid skateboarder for 35 years.

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Karen  (she/her) was born on the ancestral land of the Anishinaabe people, treaty territory of Fort William First Nation (Thunder Bay, Ontario), and is a settler of Finnish and Irish descent. She has lived with her family on the unceded territory of the Snaw-naw-as people for nine years. Her career has included fundraising and marketing roles in the performing arts, as well as marketing and operations roles in the tourism sector. With a particular interest in arts research, Karen sits on the Mass Culture Research Working Group. A mother of three, she loves spending time at the lake with her kids, dog, spouse and extended family. An avid reader with a (neglected) creative writing practice, Karen is most often lost in words. She holds a Masters in Comparative Literature and Art.

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Aisha (she/her) was born in Ontario in Robinson-Huron Treaty territory, and grew up in Burlington on the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Her love of teaching started as a teenager, working as a lifeguard and swimming instructor, and has only grown since then. As a gallery educator she encourages people of all ages to have fun making, and engaging with art.She moved to Snuneymuxw territory in May of 2021, and enjoys spending time at community events, playing board games, escaping from rooms, solving murder mysteries, finding new benches to read on, and watching reality tv.

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As a poet, printmaker, arts administrator, and art collector, the arts permeate all aspects of Aaramë’s (she/her) life. Originally from Texada and the upper Sunshine Coast, she has called Nanaimo home since 1999. She is grateful for the privilege to spend her life on Tla’amin, Snuneymuxw, and other Coast Salish territories.Since 2008, she has operated a small home-based printmaking studio creating handmade serigraphs, intaglio etchings, and hand-bound books. She has taught printmaking workshops through Nanaimo Art Gallery, Vancouver Island University, Gabriola Isle of the Arts Festival, Ladysmith Waterfront Gallery, and private studio classes. She holds a Diploma of Visual Arts from Vancouver Island University (2013) and is an alumna of the Leadership Vancouver Island program.Aaramë brings over 20 years administrative management experience to Nanaimo Art Gallery, and has been a part of the Nanaimo arts community for over 10 years, previously working with Crimson Coast Dance and Centre for the Arts Nanaimo. She is a strong advocate of the power of art to create bonds, build communities, and transform lives.She is also passionate about growing her personal collection of works on paper, including hand-bound and limited edition books, original prints and letterpress broadsheets.

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Nic Cooper (they/them) is an artist-educator, with a passion for learning through contemporary art. Their art practice has two sides, both are rooted in the vision of community gathering – one aspect leans on archival and contemporary news images of protest and queer experiences, and the other involves observational drawing in the places they live. Nic enjoys guiding people through art activities and exhibitions to learn, grow and have fun! They live on Gabriola Island, Snuneymuxw Territory.

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Chris (he/him) is from the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations and moved to Snuneymuxw territory in 2019. For two decades he produced and curated art, comedy, and tech events and shows around the world while also working as a freelance graphic designer. For five years he ran Hot Art Wet City Gallery in East Vancouver. He has degrees in Psychology from UBC and Visual Communication Design from Emily Carr. He enjoys gardening, cycling, hiking, camping, reading, and occasionally painting.

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Sólveig (she/they) is an artist and communicator, passionate about building community and translating knowledge in inviting and accessible ways. Sólveig was raised on the territory of the Snuneymuxw peoples in Nanaimo. She has lived on the traditional land of the Attiwonderonk and Haudenosaunee peoples (Guelph, Ontario), of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), and in Bremen, Germany. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in neuroscience and public policy, focusing on science communication. Sólveig’s practice as an artist connects personal narrative and memory to histories of art, labour, and gender in fibre and textile art. She enjoys sharing her process on social media, inviting folks to get excited and learn more about how the textiles we use and wear everyday are created.In her spare time, you can find Sólveig sewing and knitting (of course!), creating with food, adventuring outdoors, learning new skills (currently video games & home renovation) with her partner, Riley, and singing along to musical theatre soundtracks.

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